Environmental concerns are of increasing importance today, and many consumer groups are focusing their efforts on the disposability and degradability of various articles. The general public is being urged to use articles which can be made from materials which can be recycled or which will degrade upon exposure to heat and/or humid conditions.
Among the articles which receive substantial attention by environmentally-active consumer groups are packaging articles, such as bags and other containers, and personal care articles, such as towels, washcloths, bathmats, wipes, sanitary napkins and diapers. These articles typically are made from or contain nonwoven fabric or film components which are made from polyolefin compositions (i.e., plastic materials). While these nonwoven fabrics and films (also referred to in this application as "nonwoven components") provide the physical properties which contribute to the desirability and effectiveness of these articles, such nonwoven components generally have the disadvantage of being resistant to the chemical and physical conditions to which they are subjected in a disposal system, such as a municipal composting operation, after the articles are used and discarded.
Therefore, much effort has been directed toward the development of nonwoven fabrics and films which can be used in the manufacture of various articles having the characteristics and advantages desired by consumers, but which will degrade upon exposure to the conditions of temperature and humidity commonly encountered in municipal compost operations.
However, the development of such nonwoven fabrics and films is not an easy task. In the first instance, these nonwoven components must remain stable throughout the manufacture, shipment, storage and use procedures which are encountered in the normal cycle of articles made from such components. In the next instance, these nonwoven components must then degrade within a certain time upon disposal and exposure to the conditions of temperature and high humidity in a municipal compost operation.
The degradation of these nonwoven fabrics and films in a municipal compost operation would clearly benefit the environment by decreasing the volume of garbage going into a landfill.
The prior art has attempted to address the above-described environmental needs by providing degradable plastics. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,983,651 describes certain biodegradable synthetic polymer compositions comprising a blend of a stable polymer, an anti-oxidant, starch, a styrene-butadiene copolymer and a transition metal organic salt.
However, the prior art has not fully met the need for nonwoven fabrics and films which can be used to produce shelf stable articles having a useful life span, but which degrade in a municipal compost operation. Therefore, a need exists for such nonwoven components.